MMA

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — ‘Big’ John McCarthy, quite possibly the most prominent referee in MMA history, shook up the sport’s world in early January when Bellator announced he would be retiring and joining their broadcast team. For more than 20 years, McCarthy was in the cage regulating bouts. Now he’ll be talking about them from outside

Donald “Cowboy” Cerrone tied the all-time record for UFC victories on Friday night, defeating Yancy Medeiros by first-round TKO in Austin, Texas. But it’s not necessarily what he accomplished, it’s how he did it. Cerrone became a fan-favorite due to his willingness to fight anyone at any time and consistently put on a show. The

Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone moved into a three-way tie for the most wins in UFC history on Saturday, as he knocked out Yancy Medeiros in the first round at UFC Fight Night in Austin, Texas. The finish came with just two seconds remaining in the round. Cerrone (33-10) wobbled Medeiros with a straight right to the

A middleweight fight between Brazilian legends Vitor Belfort and Lyoto Machida is in the works for UFC 224 on May 12 in Rio de Janeiro. Belfort, 40, confirmed the planned matchup via Instagram, following an initial report by MMAFighting.com. The UFC 224 pay-per-view event is scheduled to take place at Jeunesse Arena. “May 12, [Machida]

UNCASVILLE, Conn. — Matt Mitrione defeated Roy Nelson by majority decision (29-28, 29-28, 28-28) in a razor-thin fight that went the distance on Friday night at Bellator 194. Mitrione’s win advances him in the World Heavyweight Grand Prix, in which he’ll next face either Ryan Bader or Muhammed “King Mo” Lawal. Mitrione (13-5) was most

As much as Donald Cerrone misses the bright lights of the UFC’s Octagon when he’s not competing, the promotion arguably misses him more. Cerrone (32-10) will make his 27th walk for the UFC on Sunday when he faces Yancy Medeiros in a welterweight main event in Austin, Texas. It will mark his first appearance since

Kelvin Gastelum has informed the UFC he wants to fight in May, and he wants there to be a guaranteed title shot on the line. Gastelum (14-3) is coming off a first-round knockout over Michael Bisping in November. The UFC was interested in booking him again as early as this month, but the 26-year-old said

How long did it take Yancy Medeiros to accept his next matchup, following a back-and-forth war with Alex Oliveira on Dec 2 — ESPN’s 2017 Fight of the Year? About three weeks. Medeiros (15-4) is set to meet Donald ‘Cowboy’ Cerrone (32-10) in a five-round main event at UFC Fight Night on Sunday, in Austin,

The California State Athletic Commission has officially scheduled an administrative hearing on UFC star Jon Jones’ failed drug test, during a meeting later this month in Anaheim. Jones (22-1) will appear before the commission on Feb. 27. The hearing has been expected for months, but was only added to CSAC’s official agenda on Wednesday. MMAFighting.com

LAS VEGAS — Don’t worry. Yair Rodriguez hasn’t gone anywhere. Rodriguez (10-2) is one of the UFC’s most promising prospects, but he’s been virtually off the grid since a TKO loss to Frankie Edgar nine months ago. It’s difficult to make sense of what’s gone on in the UFC’s middleweight division over the past couple

Matt Mitrione believes the Bellator MMA World Grand Prix is “the most exciting thing going on” in mixed martial arts this year — even if he initially wanted no part of it. Bellator’s eight-man tournament will crown a new heavyweight champion by year’s end, but Mitrione admits he was “salty” when first approached with the

UFC 221 was a weird event. It was supposed to feature Australian middleweight champion Robert Whittaker in his home country, but he was forced off the card due to injury. So UFC 221 ended up showcasing two U.S.-based fighters in a half-interim title bout. That’s a little strange. The fights themselves delivered, though. Here’s ESPN’s

6:47 AM ET ESPN staff Former UFC middleweight champion Michael Bisping believes a retirement fight against Lyoto Machida “ticks all the right boxes”. Bisping (30-9), who hasn’t fought since his defeat to Kevin Gastelum in Nov. 2017, has made it known he’s looking to retire from the sport. There was no title on the line

At this point, someone should probably offer a college course on understanding the UFC’s middleweight division. If you haven’t been paying super close attention, it’s complicated. And trying to catch up can be downright confusing. I’m sorry, but, what exactly is a half-interim title fight again? There was no title on the line for Yoel

PERTH, Australia — The headline act may have been meaningless and Kiwi great Mark Hunt beaten, but Perth fans still enjoyed their first taste of UFC action thanks largely to the salvage efforts of Jake Matthews, Tai Tuivasa, Tyson Pedro and Israel Adesanya. Yoel Romero‘s knockout victory over Luke Rockhold effectively rendered the bout for

Yoel Romero‘s third-round stoppage over Luke Rockhold did not earn him an interim title on Saturday, but it was still the biggest win of his career. Romero (13-2) knocked out Rockhold with a monstrous left hand at the 1:48 mark of the third round. The middleweight fight headlined UFC 221 in Perth, Australia. Romero was

Yoel Romero missed weight ahead of his UFC 221 headliner against Luke Rockhold, and as a result, will not be eligible to win the interim middleweight title Sunday in Perth, Australia. Romero (12-2) could not make the 185-pound limit at Saturday’s weigh-in. He initially came in at 188.5 pounds and had two hours to drop